Pinks and Purples Using MAC Colour 3 Quad and Blooming Lovely Lipstick

Here is another pink and purple look from my favorite purple quad, MAC Colour 3 quad from the MAC Spring Colour Forecast. I used the darker hues as crease and outer V colors for this look.



For the main lid color, I used my favorite Aromaleigh eyeshadow (yes, I love this so much that I think out of the hundreds of Aromaleigh eyeshadows I own, this is the one I love the most). It's the now-discontinued eyeshadow from the Valentine 2009 collection called Soul Mate. How I love this shadow! I've used this in many of my EOTDs and it never fails to amaze me. It gives this soft but shimmery pink shade that is eye-catching and really opens up the peepers. I'm so sad this has been discontinued! But good thing I was able to score one from Aromaleigh's "garage-sale" of discontinued items.



I also used my beautiful mineralize blush duo in Two Virtues from Too Fabulous collection for this look. Lovely purple pink color!



I used my greyish pink lipstick with purple undertones, Blooming Lovely from the MAC Give Me Liberty of London collection. It's cool-toned, so I had to wear a warmer lipliner to balance the undertones. I love it though - very creamy and pigmented.



I used English Accents on top of Blooming Lovely. Here's how they look like together:



Here's a step-by-step. All eye products MAC unless otherwise stated.


Apply Urban Decay primer potion all over lid, browbone and lower lashline. Using a fluffy shader brush, apply Fresco Rose paint pot on lid.


Using a stiff shader brush like the 239, apply Aromaleigh Soul Mate on lid foiled on the lid using Charged Water (use a slightly damp brush).


Using Sonia Kashuk blender brush, apply Bruised Plum on crease.


Using the same brush, apply Black Tulip on outer V. Blend with the 224 brush.

Pink Look Using Aromaleigh Valentine 2009 Mineral Eye Shadows

Here's an eye look featuring Aromaleigh mineral shadows. I have been saying again and again that I really like this brand of mineral eyeshadows. The good thing about it is that I've been using the brand so often that I've finally gotten the hang of applying them. I am now quite used to the texture of the product that I've grown adept in applying them precisely where and how I want them applied. I have also gotten used to blending the colors together. I noticed that I prefer to apply these mineral eyeshadows using just one brush - a stiff shader brush like the MAC 239 or in my case, Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8". I like to blend the colors using the Sonia Kashuk blender brush or the MAC 224. In any event, I can even create looks with the mineral shadows simply by using the stiff shader brush.

Most of the eyeshadows I used were from the Valentine 2009 collection. I was disappointed, however, when my favorite pink mineral shadow perhaps of all time, Soul Mate, which was part of the original Valentine 2009, had been discontinued. I almost always reach out for this when I am doing pink or purple looks. I just love the combination of the texture, shade and shimmer. It's really a great pink lid color. Good thing I was able to get a full size when it was still available. Still, at the rate I'm going, I think I'm gonna run out of this sooner or later.

Here's a step-by-step. All items Aromaleigh unless otherwise stated.


Apply Urban Decay primer potion on lid. Apply MAC Fresco Rose on lid using a fluffy shader brush. Using a stiff shader brush like the MAC 239 or Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop, apply Soul Mate on lid foiled using MAC Charged Water.


Using the same brush, apply Wine and Dine on crease sparingly.


Blend using the 224 brush.


Add Fervor to the crease and outer V using the same brush and blend using the 224.

Purple and Pink Eye Look Using Aromaleigh Mineral Eye Shadows

Belated Happy Halloween! To celebrate it, I wore a predominantly purple eye look using Aromaleigh shadows. I honestly love Aromaleigh shadows because they are very pigmented and are a dream to apply and blend on the skin. They are not just mini mica explosions with all sparkle and no color pay-off. There are also over 300 eyeshadow colors and textures to choose from. I also don't need to wait weeks just to receive my online order; I get them almost always within three business days.

Anyways, I used mostly shadows from the Les Papillons collection. I also used a Rocks! Sonic eyeshadow in blueorchid, I believe. I am not sure because the label is peeled off.


For the lid color, I used Soulmate from the Valentine 2009 collection.


Anyhoo, here is a step-by-step. All eye products are Aromaleigh unless otherwise stated.


Apply MAC Bare Canvas paint all over lid. Apply MAC Fresco Rose paint pot on lid. Foil Soulmate on lid using the Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8" (MAC 239 dupe) using MAC Charged Water.


Using the same brush, apply Ephemeral Violet dry on outer lid and crease.


Using the same brush, apply a little Dormant Dream to mix with Ephemeral Violet. Blend with MAC 224 brush.


Using the same brush, add blueorchid. Blend carefully using the 224.


Using the same brush, apply Emergent Beauty foiled on the outer lid using MAC Charged Water. Wait to dry and blend with 224.




To retain the purple tones, add a little bit of Vigil of Change dry using the same brush.


Using the same brush, apply Soul Takes Flight dry on outer lid. Blend with the 224.


Using Stila No. 5 brush, apply a shimmery pink eyeshadow to highlight the browbone.


Line upper lashline with L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner (my favorite liner of late).


Rim eyes (waterline and tightline) using Urban Decay 24/7 glide on kohl pencil in Zero. Apply Red Cherry false lashes #903. Apply mascara.









FACE:
Dr. Denese SPF30 Tinted Defense Day Cream
Buff'd mineral foundation in Almond
Aromaleigh ultra resolution finishing powder in Translucent
MAC Sculpt powder to contour
MAC The Perfect Cheek blush
MAC Perfect Topping mineralize skinfinish on top of blush

LIPS:
MAC lipliner in Whirl
MAC lipstick in Masque
MAC lipglass in Quick Tease

Aromaleigh Haul: Valentine Shadows, Spring Solstice and Ultra Resolution Powder

As always, Aromaleigh has tempted me to put in another order because I just freakin' love their products. The Valentine 2009 shadows were on sale (they were deeply discounted, though I don't exactly remember by how much), so I snagged the last few ones that I had been lemming for. I got Fervor, described on the site as "cool brown with a heart of pink roses, and bright sparks of copper", Wine & Dine, "wine and rich garnet tones apply like silk with the slightest copper iridescent highlight tone", and Heart and Soul, "sheer, easy to wear vivid magenta with sparks of pink; can be foiled for more intense application." Then since my order reached $30, I got a free full size Pure Hue in Tea Rose. My favorite from this haul is Heart & Soul. It is such a pretty vivid pink. I swatched them for an entry from way back, but here they are again:









These are much more "alive" in real life. I swatched these using just the samples, so I was scrimping on the pigments and wasn't swatching them as heavily as I would have liked, resulting in some washed out swatches. Don't be fooled by these - the shadows can be as soft or as vivid as you want them to be, depending on the heaviness of the application or if they were to be applied foiled or dry. Either way, these are gorgeous.



My Spring Solstice shadow samples are here! They are so pretty and the finish and texture are awesome. They are not as metallic as the Opulent Lustres (thank God!), and they have almost the same beautiful finish as the Valentine 2009 shadows that I loved. These are amazing colors and I can't wait to play with these. Watch out for looks and swatches using the Spring Solstice collection!



Lastly, my full size Ultra Resolution finishing powder (URFP) in English Rose has arrived, and I am super stoked. As I had mentioned in previous entries, this is Aromaleigh's version of the high definition finishing powder but better because they come in tinted forms. The ingredients and effect are similar to those of the high definition (HD) powders you see on the mainstream market today, like the highly-coveted Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Loose Powder. Aromaleigh has the edge, I think, because it offers four variants of these. The Clear variant is for those who have light to medium skintones, the Translucent for those who are darker-complected, and they added two new shades that emit a subtle glow: "Peaches & Cream" (a perfectly proper pinky peach) and "English Rose" (a tender cool pink, like blushing cheeks) that give a radiant look with just the lightest touch of color on the face. A light dusting of this leaves my skin with a radiant luminosity, reducing the appearance of large pores and imperfections, giving a beautiful soft-focus effect. Now, my four variants of the URFP are complete!



Love each one of these! I enjoy interchanging them together with my cream toppings from DreamWorld Minerals. I get a kick out of choosing which finishing powder I should use for the day (Hmmm...finishing powder with silica? With clay? With clay and silica? With silk powder?). The possibilities are endless and each has a different function that caters to my skin's needs for that day. Clay soaks up excess oil, silica blurs imperfections, and silk powder is self-adjusting; it's able to absorb or release moisture as the skin needs, and gives the skin a soft, satiny, luxurious feel). And that is why I really love these small mineral makeup companies - the skin relishes in each natural, paraben-free product that they offer.

Smoky Lilacs Using Aromaleigh and MAC Shadows

I made a smoky lilac look using Aromaleigh's Valentine limited edition shadows, and some of my newly acquired MAC shadows. To refresh our memory, here are the shades again:







Also, for the first time in months, I've used my Meow mineral foundation in the Flawless Feline formula, and I forgot how smooth and flawless-looking this brand is. I usually wear it during summer because it feels so light and airy, I feel like I am not wearing any makeup at all. I tried it again when I saw it sitting in a corner in my dresser drawer, and I'm so glad I did. Love this foundation to bits!

Here's a quick tutorial on the eye look. All products MAC unless otherwise noted:


Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over lid and brows. Smooth with finger. With a fluffy shader brush, apply Fresco Rose paint pot on lid. Apply Beige-ing shadestick on lower lashline to prevent smudging of shadows.


Using Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8" brush (or MAC 239), apply Aromaleigh shadow in Sweet Nothings on the inner 2/3 of the lid foiled using Charged Waters.


Using same brush, apply a little bit of Beautiful Girl Minerals mineral shadow in Magical and apply on outer lid dry.


Using the 224 brush, apply Flirty Number shadow on crease.


Using the 224, apply Shale on crease blending into Flirty Number.


Apply Fascinating eye kohl on inner corners, then apply Yogurt over it using the 219 brush.


Using the larger crease contouring brush from Essence of Beauty, apply Shadowy Lady shadow on crease going down making a V-shape. Blend well with the 224.


Using the 227 brush, apply Yogurt on browbone to highlight.


Apply Blacktrack fluidline, Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero to tightline and on waterline, Sweet Nothings on inner half of lower lashline and Shadowy Lady on outer half of lower lashline. Apply Red Cherry falsies #1.







Face:
Monistat gel as primer
Meow Flawless Feline mineral foundation in Naughty Abyssinian
MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NC20
Dayna's Rested mineral undereye concealer
DreamWorld whipped cocoon (silk finishing powder) in Whipped Strawberries
Valerie Beauty mineral blush in Smokin' Mocha

Lips:
MAC tinted lip conditioner in Pink Fish
MAC In 3D lipliner in Plum Mate
MAC lipstick in Rubia
MAC dazzleglass in Comet Blue